Web API is a new feature, introduced for the first time for Dynamics CRM 2016. You can use Dynamics 365 Web API with different programming languages, multiple platforms, and devices. Web API in Dynamics 365 uses Open Data Protocol (OData), also known as OData version 4. As Dynamics 365 Web API is built on open standards, it is not necessary to use any assemblies.
With Dynamics 365, Organization Data Service was deprecated and was replaced with Web API. The main purpose of the API is to provide parity with organization services and try to reduce as many constraints as possible.
The following are the characteristics of Web API:
- It implements OData version 4.0 for building and consuming RESTful APIs over rich data sources such as DOC, HTML, and PDF
- It supports a wide variety of programming languages such as .Net, C++, Java, Python, devices, and platforms...